5 Reasons I’m Not a Superhero (And One Reason Moms Are)

Teish would be a great secret identity. Who would ever suspect that a homeschooling mom who blogs and knits was really a superhero, right? I may have the secret identity part down pat, but there are good reasons why I’m not a comic book superhero…

I’m deathly afraid of heights.

There’s just no way around it. Whether it’s flying, swinging from buildings, or leaping off them, superheroes are always dealing with heights. Me? I start getting a bit shaky when I reach the second rung on a ladder. Even if I could leap tall buildings in a single bound, I’m pretty sure that I’d be too scared to attempt it.

Spandex doesn’t do my appearance any favors.

I’m in my 30s and I’ve birthed four babies. Stretch marks and sags are unavoidable at this point. Honestly, I’m OK with this. But it’s also why my “mom uniform” consists of yoga pants and Doctor Who t-shirts. Superheroes really need more practical (and forgiving!) costumes.

My Arch-nemesis isn’t scary enough.

Arithmetic is out to get me, I’m convinced of that. But it’s not exactly going to take over the world anytime soon. Besides, a really terrifying arch-nemesis has a cool name. The best I could come up with for arithmetic is Equations of Doom. Not very frightening.

I don’t have any weird lab-accident superpowers.

Moms totally have superpowers, but mom powers aren’t the result of a lab experiment gone awry. (Though the kids may feel like I have laser beams coming from my eyes whenever I give them “the look”!)

I don’t have a ton of money to sink into cool gadgets.

The only reason Batman and Iron Man are superheroes, is because Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark are ridiculously wealthy and can afford expensive gear. Besides, those cool gadgets would be pretty impractical in real life; the Batmobile probably doesn’t have room for multiple car seats and a load of groceries.

But there’s one reason why moms are superheroes:

They’re changing the world.

Think about all of the people throughout history who have made a difference. Every one of them had a mom, and I’ll bet a significant number of them would tell you that their mom had a huge impact on helping them to grow to be the people they were. You’re investing a good chunk of your life and so much of yourself into raising the next generation of leaders, teachers, scientists, writers, artists, researchers, and moms. What you do today, training and teaching your kids to honor and follow God, has a bigger impact than you realize.

We may not have primary colored spandex tights, but we do have the Armor of God. We just need to persevere and keep seeking God’s wisdom as we do this hard job called “mothering”. God’s call you to something amazing, and He will give you everything you need to accomplish it. That’s better than superpowers any day.

“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.” – Proverbs 1:8-9 NIV